I wonder what the statistic is for how many media messages are directed at us every day? Then again, maybe I don’t want to know. When you think about it, at their least innocuous we have TV and radio commercials coming at us every 6 or 7 minutes for up to 3 minutes at a time.

On a car trip from, say, Oregon to Baja, you would see upwards of 10,000 billboards and more subtle forms of advertising (like gas, food and lodging signs), from “Free Oregon travel coupons at Hospitality Center” to “Complimentary California Life Insurance quote” to “Last RV Campground before border.”

Then there are online visual assaults. Come on, people. “Less is more!” When I encounter a website with 16 flashing banners and icons, I need a reason to stay long enough to find what I came for. You’ve got me there. Don’t chase me away with excess bling-bling.